Thursday, 12 July 2012

New Concept in Cooking – Spirit Sprays

I
have used oil sprays in cooking before but now there is a new concept
in adding a dash of cognac to your dish. Two creators in Beaune,
Burgundy, have just launched a range of spray-on spirits to update
their use in the kitchen. Jean-David Camus and Philippe Stark have
founded Brumes
Gourmandes:

“We
began with the idea of reviving the use of spirits in cooking, as
they are part of our gastronomical heritage”

The
sprays are handcrafted in Burgundy and range from Marc de Bourgogne,
Fine de Bourgogne, Prunelle de Bourgogne, Cognac, Pastis, Poire
Williams Brandy, Kirsch, Rum and Whiskey:

“The
main advantage is the dose. The perfect quantity can be used,
according to the tastes of everyone at the table. Furthermore,
millions of droplets that explode are extremely flavourful. Also, one
can precisely target the different parts of the dish one wants to
flavour”.

The
bottles resemble perfume bottles – which isn't surprising
considering that their creators have worked in the perfume sector.
With 20 years of experience in the spirits industry, the two partners
select the producers and cuvees, and then create their own original
blends:

“This
is where classic gastronomical products and new methods of
application, that of a spray, meet. Since it is a novel method of
application for spirits, we wanted it to resemble something that
already exists, such as perfume bottles”

“If
we don’t reintroduce spirits to cooking in a different manner, our
children won’t use them”,
claims Jean-David Camus, who also underlines the risk that small
local producers of sprits will disappear in the future.
“If we do nothing, in a few years’ time there will only be 50 big
brands of spirits worldwide and no small producers.”